Top qualities of a successful leader

1. Class 2 – Top 10 qualities of a successful leader

2. Inspires and motivates others
 Great leaders create a vision of the future that is vivid
and compelling, and that motivates employees to want
to achieve it.
 Everyone wants to work for a company that makes a
difference in the world. As a leader, you are best able to
help the members of your team connect what they do
to the impact it has on customers and communities.

3. Displays high integrity and honesty
 Great leaders are honest and transparent, and have
high integrity--they do what they say they are going to
do, and they walk their talk.
 As Umpqua Bank CEO Ray Davis said in his
book Leading Through Uncertainty, "I always tell our
people that they're entitled to get answers to every
question they have. ... That doesn't mean they're going
to like the answers. But it's going to be truthful, and I
know they can deal with the truth. This might create
additional questions, but we'll get through them. And
we do."

4. Solves problems and analyzes
issues
 Ultimately, leaders are recruited, trained, and chosen
to solve organizational problems, and to take
advantage of opportunities in the marketplace.
 This requires not only excellent analytical abilities, but
also above-average people skills.

5. Drives for results
 Some people are happy to sit back and watch the world
go by, while others aren't unless they are making
things happen in their organizations.
 Great leaders have a higher level of perseverance,
stick-to-itiveness, and drive than most anyone else,
and they can be counted on to get things done.

6. Communicates powerfully and
prolifically
 Great leaders communicate with their people often,
and in a variety of different ways.
 Whether it's by means of one-on-one conversations,
team meetings, blog posts, email messages, phone or
Skype calls, or any other such medium, leaders don't
talk about communicating--they just do it.

7. Builds relationships
 Business is built on a solid foundation of relationships
and trust. Without these two things, you can't have a
business, or at least not a successful business.
 Take time every day to build relationships with the
members of your team, your customers and vendors,
your boss and your boss's boss, others in your industry,
and your community.
 The stronger your relationships, the better a leader you
will be.

8. Displays technical or professional
expertise
 Most leaders start out in business with a specific skill,
such as selling, or accounting, or designing software.
 The best leaders build on their technical and
professional skills over time, becoming valuable
experts in their field and skilled at leading their team.

9. Displays a strategic perspective
 Great leaders have a long-term vision of the future,
and they avoid getting bogged down in the here and
now.
 While they can be tactical when necessary, they
maintain the strategic outlook necessary to guide their
businesses to the best future possible.

10. Develops others
 Just as they work to continuously develop and build
their own technical and professional expertise, the
best leaders set aside time (and money in their
budgets) to develop their work force.
 They look for the most promising employees, and
provide them with the training they need to become
their company's next generation of great leaders.

11. Innovates
 According to General Electric's 2012 Global Innovation
Barometer, which polled 2,800 senior executives on
the state of innovation around the world, 92 percent of
respondents agreed with the statement that
"innovation is the main lever to create a more
competitive economy." The ability to innovate is a key
skill for every great leader.